A 2018
Preview on the World of Tanks website outlines major changes Wargaming has
in store in an upcoming version 1.0 patch for their multiplayer tank game
(thanks
PCGamesN). They say this should roll out in March 2018, and will include new
maps, new sounds, optimization, and an all new graphics engine. They provide
this gameplay trailer
with a look at of what to expect and also offer downloads of
World of Tanks enCore, a demo for
their new graphics engine to see how it runs on your system. Here are more
details:

One of the biggest newsbeats at this year’s WG Fest was the
announcement of Update 1.0, which is less than three months away! Slated to hit
production servers in March, it reimagines the game with a new graphics engine
and over 25 ultra-realistic maps.

This impressive revamp has been over four years in the making. It all began from
our desire to bring the game’s visuals to modern standards, and was continuously
fueled by three things: your feedback, technological progress, and performance
optimization. We wanted to give the game a modern look, while also ensuring you
can enjoy it on your rig. Simply tweaking the original engine to improve the
game’s looks just wouldn’t cut it: technology evolved rapidly, and the BigWorld
client engine simply couldn’t keep up.

Much like we all do in a battle, we needed to plan a few steps ahead. In our
case, it called for a solution that would support the latest technological
advancements while having enough capacity to let us advance graphics in tandem
with it. Also, we needed a technology tailored to World of Tanks. Hardly any
graphics engine (both now and then) would fit these three requirements. So we
brought client development in-house, created something specifically for World of
Tanks, and named it for what it was: CORE, as it’s literally at the core of
everything you see in game.

What might look simple on paper definitely wasn’t that way in real life. It took
our team three years to make it happen. Another year (and a crew of several
hundred people) was needed to overhaul the game’s maps, recreating all in-game
content from the ground-up using the latest technology for graphical content
processing and rendering.

jdreyer wrote on Dec 25, 2017, 05:18:Cool. WoT-style PvE isn't necessarily a bad thing. I was just wondering how far they took the whole campaign thing. I'll check it out. Thanks.

Obsidian is the developer so it's not like they just said, F it, let's have modern World of Tanks! They tried to make the story sensible and they are constantly expanding the lore/world. I mostly play the PVE since PVP was in a tough spot for a long time (this is one of those games like WoT that was in "beta" forever) on NA (you can run double accounts with EU though). I basically powered through to all the tanks I wanted and now I come back whenever they have a update to see what they've added for PVE. This most recent update adds special operations that are connected (and I believe to the "story" as well), new maps, and night mode gameplay on all maps (which has new mechanics I believe).

I could say a lot more but I'll end by saying that they don't add tanks for the hell of it. They only really added one line and filled in some placeholders since I got my garage filled (they don't charge for slots...and there's no gold ammo...etc, no P2W stuff). So I only have a few to grind really but I like that I can feel like I achieved my goals without 1000s of hours played and that I can jump right back into PVE and have a good time without worrying about dropping $ on new stupid shit. The $ is largely for cosmetics (although to be fair, you did need gold for camo at one point with a small boost to concealment, but by the time it came off the test server you could get it with game currency as well).

Hmm, what else...engine is CryEngine so it shares similarities with MWO there but they actually have a decent UI designer (they are constantly improving it)...the game is by no means "simple" in design, which I like. I haven't dabbled much with the campaign I'll admit, although I do follow their updates on it. The fact they lock down the API means you don't have cheaters and ridiculous mods which is the main reason I stuck with it...yes I could go on for a while here but that's the jist. I wish more people were aware of the game because it's a really solid F2P for people who want a more relaxed (PVE) atmosphere while having the WoT style/mechanics.

*edit* I should add they are addressing PVP issues too of course (in fact that's 50% of their focus or more) and have added AI fillers for low-tiers to compensate for the population issues at lower tiers

jdreyer wrote on Dec 24, 2017, 12:56:Have you played the storyline campaign in AW? Wondering how it is.

They actually do write about (have lore) for the storyline campaign and have episode trailers, which is cool, but I see you're asking about gameplay. Really it's just an excuse to get you playing the game as the objectives are pretty standard. Of course they're adding more interesting/connected things with global operations and more recently what I linked with the Caribbean Crisis. So if you're asking if this is like a Mechwarrior level single-player experience or something (in AW, you are essentially a mercenary tank company), then no. They are certainly leading up to that by fleshing out the world/story and having more interesting game modes but it's primarily a World of Tanks style game with PVE elements.

Cool. WoT-style PvE isn't necessarily a bad thing. I was just wondering how far they took the whole campaign thing. I'll check it out. Thanks.

If Star Citizen was a child conceived in a night of passion, it would have started elementary school by now. -panbient

jdreyer wrote on Dec 24, 2017, 12:56:Have you played the storyline campaign in AW? Wondering how it is.

They actually do write about (have lore) for the storyline campaign and have episode trailers, which is cool, but I see you're asking about gameplay. Really it's just an excuse to get you playing the game as the objectives are pretty standard. Of course they're adding more interesting/connected things with global operations and more recently what I linked with the Caribbean Crisis. So if you're asking if this is like a Mechwarrior level single-player experience or something (in AW, you are essentially a mercenary tank company), then no. They are certainly leading up to that by fleshing out the world/story and having more interesting game modes but it's primarily a World of Tanks style game with PVE elements.

NewMaxx wrote on Dec 24, 2017, 10:49:The Wargaming grind is just too much. I played World of Tanks for a while and didn't quit over the grind so much as the cheating, but when I tried to get into World of Warships the grind was unreal! They also took over Total War: Arena recently and the grind from the test was extreme. I put most of my time into Armored Warfare instead which actually is a pretty great game. Only problem with it is that the NA PVP population is pretty small (you can play on EU) but luckily it has a robust PVE mode. Either way, I was able to get like 100 tanks including T9 and T10s with less hours than I put into WoT for T7, so yeah. If someone is looking for a similar type game and maybe even likes PVE or a mixture (global ops) thrown in, check out AW. It's made by Obsidian.

Have you played the storyline campaign in AW? Wondering how it is.

If Star Citizen was a child conceived in a night of passion, it would have started elementary school by now. -panbient

jdreyer wrote on Dec 24, 2017, 05:34:I haven't played WoT, but I put about 100 hours into WoWs. I really loved my time in that game. It looks gorgeous and the game seems exquisitely researched. It's immensely satisfying to manuever your destroyer in close and release a full spread of torpedoes into the broad side of a cruiser or battleship.

As mentioned, progress at first is quick, but as you acquire higher tier ships, the become difficult to operate due to the upkeep costs. You have to grind several low level missions to afford to run your high-level ship once. Or you can pay money. It's this pay-to-use mechanic that I don't like. I'd much prefer this to be a for-purchase game with a more reasonable progression system not tied to and created for revenue generation. In the end, the fact that I'd have to pay continually really turned me off. Also tied into this are manipulative ways to keep you in game and grinding, like an extra bonus after your 5th mission in a single day. It just becomes all too much.

I find that tactic pretty disgusting. In lower tiers they make you think that higher tiers will be better in every way, but once you get to Tier 8 or 9, you notice how bad the game gets. You cant repair your ships anymore or buy new ones or upgrades without paying more and more money, you take ages to complete new bought ships or get captains into competitive levels if you dont pay, higher tier ships actually get worse (cruisers and destroyers mostly), you feel like youre in a disadvantage if you dont use all P2W content (incl. premium ships), some ships you notice are utter garbage and you wasted a lot of money and time on them (or the whole tech tree actually!), etc.I for example sold all my lower tier ships after I unlocked the next higher one, because else I wouldnt have been able to afford buying them. But then I noticed how bad higher tiers get and wanted to play lower tiers again, but I didnt have any low tier ships left and no money to buy them, because its so hard to come by. But at least I realized how senseless it is to play lower tier anyway, because you actually have to pay real money to convert the XP gained in lower tiers into XP you can use for progress.

I actually put a lot of money into it, because I liked this game a lot. But shortly after that I got into the high tiers and felt totally scammed and like a total moron for giving them money. Thats when I stopped playing.

This game is like a typical disgusting P2W mobile game, ported to PC.

Yeah, I never ended up putting in any money. I saw where it was going, and that disappointed me. I would pay $30 or more for a standalone version of this game with a nice single player campaign, skirmish mode, and online play. But alas, that's not their model. It's a shame.

If Star Citizen was a child conceived in a night of passion, it would have started elementary school by now. -panbient

Played WoWS and am now dabbling in Tanks. WoWS advancement became very slow around tier 7-8 (depending on the line you were working). Tier X ships were generally run at a negative income to keep the lower tiers populated....which frankly was fine with me. My favorite ships were tiers 5-8 anyway.

Tanks....feels painful from Tier I all the way up. Tiers I-IV are a shitfest that really don't teach you anything about angling, terrain, or chassis. Then Tier V it really starts to matter and you're largely clueless. Tank Crew skills seem massively overpowered in Tanks as opposed to Warships. I regularly find myself sitting still waiting for my reticle to shrink and an opponent drives up a ridge, snapshots, and ducks back before I have a reasonable % chance to hit him due to the reticle.

The Wargaming grind is just too much. I played World of Tanks for a while and didn't quit over the grind so much as the cheating, but when I tried to get into World of Warships the grind was unreal! They also took over Total War: Arena recently and the grind from the test was extreme. I put most of my time into Armored Warfare instead which actually is a pretty great game. Only problem with it is that the NA PVP population is pretty small (you can play on EU) but luckily it has a robust PVE mode. Either way, I was able to get like 100 tanks including T9 and T10s with less hours than I put into WoT for T7, so yeah. If someone is looking for a similar type game and maybe even likes PVE or a mixture (global ops) thrown in, check out AW. It's made by Obsidian.

jdreyer wrote on Dec 24, 2017, 05:34:I haven't played WoT, but I put about 100 hours into WoWs. I really loved my time in that game. It looks gorgeous and the game seems exquisitely researched. It's immensely satisfying to manuever your destroyer in close and release a full spread of torpedoes into the broad side of a cruiser or battleship.

As mentioned, progress at first is quick, but as you acquire higher tier ships, the become difficult to operate due to the upkeep costs. You have to grind several low level missions to afford to run your high-level ship once. Or you can pay money. It's this pay-to-use mechanic that I don't like. I'd much prefer this to be a for-purchase game with a more reasonable progression system not tied to and created for revenue generation. In the end, the fact that I'd have to pay continually really turned me off. Also tied into this are manipulative ways to keep you in game and grinding, like an extra bonus after your 5th mission in a single day. It just becomes all too much.

I find that tactic pretty disgusting. In lower tiers they make you think that higher tiers will be better in every way, but once you get to Tier 8 or 9, you notice how bad the game gets. You cant repair your ships anymore or buy new ones or upgrades without paying more and more money, you take ages to complete new bought ships or get captains into competitive levels if you dont pay, higher tier ships actually get worse (cruisers and destroyers mostly), you feel like youre in a disadvantage if you dont use all P2W content (incl. premium ships), some ships you notice are utter garbage and you wasted a lot of money and time on them (or the whole tech tree actually!), etc.I for example sold all my lower tier ships after I unlocked the next higher one, because else I wouldnt have been able to afford buying them. But then I noticed how bad higher tiers get and wanted to play lower tiers again, but I didnt have any low tier ships left and no money to buy them, because its so hard to come by. But at least I realized how senseless it is to play lower tier anyway, because you actually have to pay real money to convert the XP gained in lower tiers into XP you can use for progress.

I actually put a lot of money into it, because I liked this game a lot. But shortly after that I got into the high tiers and felt totally scammed and like a total moron for giving them money. Thats when I stopped playing.

This game is like a typical disgusting P2W mobile game, ported to PC.

This comment was edited on Dec 24, 2017, 08:42.

Waiting for BIS to come back to their senses and do a real ArmA 2 successor.

i played wot for about 4 years. had a wn8 of just over 1900 with a mean of tier 7, our platoon FLOG was a decent platoon but we pretty much all quit at the same time. the cheating originally used to be subtle and not really an advantage but exploded over the last year or so; simply look at a website such as plazmakeks and you will see why you shouldnt bother. aimbots are rampant, fallen tree mapmods, foliage removal, weakspot skins, armour pen notifiers, rangefinders, even 'friend data' mods that transmit data between 'friend' clients regarding qhat they can see you can see, minmap tank and turret orientation.

the argument is always "this data isnt secret" but all of the above in a simple mod is an insane advantage.

until they sort the cheats im not coming back.

Its not the cough that carries you off but the coffin they carry you off in.

They added more varied gameplay modes to WOWS though, making it rather good now. And it's quite pretty. I think it's a bit superior to WOT since ships are better simulated (although some realistic elements were toned down in order to preserve gameplay and balance, like cannon and torpedo ranges..). Armor angling is key, positioning is everything, it's not a bad game at all and it's free if you take your time to grind up tiers.

I haven't played WoT, but I put about 100 hours into WoWs. I really loved my time in that game. It looks gorgeous and the game seems exquisitely researched. It's immensely satisfying to manuever your destroyer in close and release a full spread of torpedoes into the broad side of a cruiser or battleship.

As mentioned, progress at first is quick, but as you acquire higher tier ships, the become difficult to operate due to the upkeep costs. You have to grind several low level missions to afford to run your high-level ship once. Or you can pay money. It's this pay-to-use mechanic that I don't like. I'd much prefer this to be a for-purchase game with a more reasonable progression system not tied to and created for revenue generation. In the end, the fact that I'd have to pay continually really turned me off. Also tied into this are manipulative ways to keep you in game and grinding, like an extra bonus after your 5th mission in a single day. It just becomes all too much.

If Star Citizen was a child conceived in a night of passion, it would have started elementary school by now. -panbient

Fired up this game again, haven't played in a long time. Tons of fun. Progress is still painfully slow but the matches are fun.

You can buy premium ammo and other equipment with in game credits as well, it costs a few more creds but I usually take 2-3 premium rounds into each match because I suck and I usually die before I get that many shots off... :(.

I love this game but the way it subtly and not so subtly nags at you to spend money drove me away.

I was always at the mercy of players who could fire premium rounds at me (Although it felt grate when you bounced someone's gold round off your KV1 12 times a game!), and while the premium tanks were not better than the free/grind ones they were much cheaper to run, allowing the drivers to be more aggressive.

After level 6 if you didn't buy premium time, it became quite an effort to progress. Around the level 8 tanks (Which I loved) they became almost impossible to keep repaired without premium time unless you were way better at the game than I ever was.

Armengar wrote on Dec 23, 2017, 17:30:will this stop all the rampant cheating mods i wonder? i stopped playing a year ago due to the mass cheating and no desire from wargaming to stop it.

Same on World of Warships. They simply dont care about cheaters. They made it a bit harder for them back a few years ago, but its still very simple to do.I guess I will simply wait until War Thunder has ships fully implemented. And then it will blow WoWS out of the water anyway.

Waiting for BIS to come back to their senses and do a real ArmA 2 successor.